It's my primary and only car. I drive it because it's really easy to work on, cheap to maintain, still gets great mileage, has good trunk space, seats 5, and is legitimately fun in some sort of way. It has a personality not many cars have.

With all the money I've spent on it, I could have easily bought a newer car or even paid off a big chunk of a brand new Corolla. I never really wanted to. I love this car. Also, it doesn't help that I basically grew up in it since I was 5 and I've formed a very strong bond to it.

And as someone who has recently realized their passion for the automotive tech industry, the Corolla is a mechanical godsend.

EDIT: I forgot to mention a great point. The way it's modified, when someone looks at it knowing what they're seeing, they appreciate it and compliment it. When a regular person looks at it, they see a slightly spruced up econobox. Not very vulnerable to theft either. It's a great car to be nearly invisible in.

 

It's my primary and only car. I drive it because it's really easy to work on, cheap to maintain, still gets great mileage, has good trunk space, seats 5, and is legitimately fun in some sort of way. It has a personality not many cars have.

With all the money I've spent on it, I could have easily bought a newer car or even paid off a big chunk of a brand new Corolla. I never really wanted to. I love this car. Also, it doesn't help that I basically grew up in it since I was 5 and I've formed a very strong bond to it.

And as someone who has recently realized their passion for the automotive tech industry, the Corolla is a mechanical godsend.

EDIT: I forgot to mention a great point. The way it's modified, when someone looks at it knowing what they're seeing, they appreciate it and compliment it. When a regular person looks at it, they see a slightly spruced up econobox. Not very vulnerable to theft either. It's a great car to be nearly invisible in.

Hey Haloruler64,

I am not the type to spend too much on my Cars but, after seeing what you did with yours, I am striving to shell out that CASH out now but, I will never reach your majestic and wonderful looking Corolla that you have!:thumbsup:

Guapo

 

My first, my primary and my only car - well, technically not my only car since the wife has the Soarer...

I got it for free from my dad, in 16 years of total ownership it has almost never put a foot wrong, practically nothing has broken or needed to have been replaced despite being driven to the moon and back, it doesn't cost much to run or insure, I appreciate the subtle styling, I appreciate the not-as-subtle performance and handling (and others are surprised by it when they see it go past)

If i had to put an engineering spin on it; it is the constant whereas my wife's cars (KE55, AE82, ST162, JZZ30) are the variables. On any given day I can count on the Corolla being able to be driven wherever we need to go, whereas the Soarer has a bunch of niggling problems and just never seems to be in 100% health.

 

I drive the thing because it's cheaper than buying some new car. I love my car. Been in the family for over 20 years. Easy and cheap to work on. It has survived my abuse and still kicks ass. It's officially my first car. Also the first car I ever drove(my dad let me drive in the parking lot). I also have a Mazda 626(it's in my name, my girlfriend bought it for herself).

Ownership list

Grandma(not sure if she's first owner)
Sister
ME

 

Was my second car.

It was fuel efficient, cheap to run, and drove every bit as a good as a new Corolla. Everything worked in it, and it was reasonably comfortable too. If I ever need another new car I think I'd buy one of these and spend a few grand to get it brought back to almost factory fresh, and know I have a car good for another 20 years!

 

1. It's paid for, and I can't afford anything else.

2. It works.

 

It runs great , cheap to fix, easy to fix and at fill up today it had gotten 31.9 MPG on the last fill up. Best of all it cost me $700 15 months ago, I keep track of all I have into it, title change, tags, all the work, oil, etc. Every dime I ever spent on it plus the original cost of the car is under $1450 and I have had it 15 months so thats less then $100 a month. Find me a car payment under $100 that gets that MPG.

 

Secondary car. Cheap. Runs great. Fuel economy. Fun to drive. Outstanding visibility. And better than the new cars they make now, IMHO. You can control everything on the dashboard by touch. No need to take your eyes off the road. No touch screens you have to navigate through just to turn on the rear defrost.

Maybe I am a luddite, but I really don't like the new cars now. Styling has reduced window sizes to the point that back up cameras are needed. Dashboard layout is pretty bad across the board. Almost nothing is mechanically controlled by the driver. Everything is controlled by wire. I've had too many problems with computers and electronics over the years to give up so much control of a car to a computer. It's one thing if a computer just shuts down the car when it malfunctions. But it's another thing entirely when it freezes up and keeps the engine running, maybe with full throttle. I'll keep 100% control of the throttle, transmission, and ignition, thank you.

 

Tell me about it... My 2012 Camry just spent 2 days at the dealer because a stop light switch ($18) went bad and shut down my ABS, Traction Control, and ESC. Stupid. And I also dislike the touch screen radio, find myself looking at it too often but to get premium audio now you have to take a touch screen. Ergonomics in my Gen7 were some of the best I've seen in any car, period. It just worked.

 

It's my daily driver. Mostly to get me through school, and for my wife to gain driving experience (she's used to motorbikes). It's comfortable, has great visibility, reliable, and I'm too poor for something newer, and I don't really want something newer.

 

It's a fun car to drive. Very lively. Also great outward view. Lot of new cars are
hard to see out to the sides.

 

ECONOMY!!!
Easy to fix
Cheaper parts
OBDI, no ABS, no EGR, = less that can go wrong.
Scrapper's got plenty of them
fun as all hell to drive (like Halo said, personality)
I just love my rolla!

Plus I can swap the motor in about 4 hours by myself. :rockon:
And I have TONS of extra parts!:thumbsup:

 

I wish I could still keep it. Been having a lot of issues with it lately. Had brake lines rot out twice in the same month. Had several electrical problems. The car was cheap to work on and was a blast to drive. Been sitting in the driveway for the last month and a half. Wish I could keep it as a daily, but I'm trading it in for a 2015 WRX. Should be making the switch Tuesday.

 

I'd still be driving and modding mine if it didn't blowup/fall apart lol, I never wanted another car.

 

It won't die.

That's it, that's all there is.
Only car.

 

In my country almost 80% cars are corollas, because its cheap, reliable, fuel efficient
and you can find tons of parts like jdm parts, usdm parts and edm parts.
So I love it.

 

My 95 was only driven for two days before the 4AFE grenaded, lol! It's going to be my daily soon to start working on my 92 ES300.

Aside from that I had a 94 that I owned for seven years without any major issues. The intention for the 95 is to swap the V6 3mzfe engine and E153 tranny to open up more options and power than the common 4AGE, GZE and 3SGE and GTE swaps. I will provide full details when I get it running soon. Here's a teaser for all of you.





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Aside from that I had a 94 that I owned for seven years without any major issues. The intention for the 95 is to swap the V6 3mzfe engine and E153 tranny to open up more options and power than the common 4AGE, GZE and 3SGE and GTE swaps. I will provide full details when I get it running soon. Here's a teaser for all of you.





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Gerson; keep me updated on this! I'm super interested in a V6 swap for my own car! The torque is uncomparable. A friend of mine autocrosses his 4th Gen camry V6 5speed and has one his class consecutively over the course of weeks, and recieved a "rookie of the year" award in 2013. He's beaten STI's EVOs Miatas, you name it! around a track

 

I just sold mine not too long ago. Was my first car, my primary car. Would have probably kept it if it wasn't for one major issue it was having caused by ignorance. Had been such a good, reliable car with no issue at all in 17 years. Didn't need full coverage so saved a nice amount on insurance. Had quite a few dings so any new ding wasn't very noticeable which I really liked. Beige color was super good not showing dirt. For it just being front wheel drive, was great in getting into/out of snow packed parking spaces. Bought a used, white 2013 Corolla. Have a feeling it's not going to be as good as the old one.

 

Toyota makes the best cars in the world in my opinion. Period. Go to a junkyard in america and tell me what the majority of the cars are there. Domestic!! Toyotas are simply well made. My 1990 Camry's ORIGINAL alternator (alternators in general last about 10 years tops due to the wire brush's) finally conked out in 2011 after 21 years. God knows how many toyotas are out there running on original parts that are long due for replacement but since they are built so well they just keep running and running.

 

Will do Laishes! Another update will come around June when I gather other bits and pieces to test fit the engine.

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How much did you snag the engine for? and what trans will you be mating it to?

 

Super dependable. Easy to work on. I learned to drive in one as my first car when my dad bought one back in 93. At the time Honda Civics were really on the rise as becoming popular. The Corolla...not so much. It was by chance I bought one may many years later because I had been down on my luck and found a slightly wrecked one for $500. It was in really bad shape. Later I bought the one I have now. Then another to flip for cash. Then another to flip for a friend. In all I have bought 3, and rebuilt 3.

The one I have now has been my best work and invested the most money and time into. Between the engine swap, and all the upgrades, and currently a 6 speed C60 swap (almost completed) I don't think I will be getting rid of this car for a long time to come...

 

Very simple, my 1996 Toyota Corolla DX with the 1.8 Liter and Overdrive Automatic gets 37-MPH (10% Ethanol using 93 Octane) and driving the speed limit. In combined City and Highway it gets 34-MPH on a hard driving day.:thumbsup:

Additionally, it has been paid for "a" LONG TIME ago!:rofl2:

Also, it is simple compared to the Newer Cars. That I know of, my 1996 Toyota Corolla does NOT have a Crank Sensor nor a Cam sensor. It only has one O2 Sensor and does not have an in-line Catalytic converter coming out from the Exhaust Manifold like some newer models.

It is my mom's Car and uses it when she wants to and it just turned over 92,000 miles.

Enough Said!:clap:

 

My first car
Easy / Cheap to maintain
Cheap and easy to find parts
Fuel efficient
Big Trunk
Big Body
Fast

 

It still runs, 264,300 miles. In a little over 1.5 years its cost only about $1000 even in maintenance, i know because I keep track and that includes things like oil and a recent timing belt job and 2 new tires.

 

My dad bought the baby blue wagon brand new in 1993 and I've had it for maybe 10 years.

Aesthetically, I'm in love with it. I feel very little motivation to change it cosmetically. I am not a hipster but I feel it is sort of like "normalcore" for cars. Mature sensibilities. I thought briefly about getting rims but decided they would look out of place.

I did finally get rid of the casette player about a month ago. Before that I was thinking of making it a "shrine to 1993". Maybe get some mixed tapes in there or something.

I liked the 90s and my impression is that there is some ethos of subtlety efficacity there before everything became edgy, machievellian, zero sum, angsty, etc.. Deep, I know. :grin:

So in the movie of my life, Tom Cruise would (intensely) step out of my baby blue 93 corolla wagon in the same way james bond steps out of his Aston Martin before he goes off to save the world.

 

Because it won't stop running.

 

The list can be made substantial Really.
My first set of wheels. Had it for over 11 years. Toyota basically made their top reliability reputation on that model.
It is so well engineered. Maintenance is incredibly straight forward.
It has never let me down. There does not exist any car in the entire universe and there probably never will that I would trust more than this one.
It drives and handles like a dream. Heck, it is a sleeper even bone stock.
It even managed to beat a VW Golf GTi on an old Top Gear episode.
It is a car pure and simple that is meant to be driven.
It made the distance to the moon on original parts. Aside from normal wear and tear parts of course. And is well on its way back.
It looks great.
It fits like a glove regarding ergonomics. Great visibility. Not like the cars of today that feel like swollen melons that you can never tell where the bloody thing ends.
Does not have a gazillion bullshit gadgets in the cockpit that just break down.

A Corolla is not just an engine, suspension, body and steering wheel. That is what a Corolla needs. But what a Corolla is, is FREEDOM.
You just get in, look through the windscreen and say: Bring me that horizon!